Deniz Konak Hotel - Istanbul, Turkey 

Decent budget hotel, would stay there again. Excellent location, only about a 10-15 minute walk from the major sights. Neighborhood looks a bit worn (derelict homes with some undergoing renovation), but didn’t feel unsafe. Can catch the train from the airport (1.40 Turkish Lira), transfer in Zeitunburno to the Metro (1.40 Turkish Lira) and get off at Sultanhamet to make your way to the hotel, alternative cheapest fare was 30EU. Pretty much any public transportation, whether ferry, train or bus is either 1.40 or 1.50 TLira. Get a good map before going because the hotel can be a bit hard to find. Lots of restaurants close to the hotel, plus a small grocery across the corner (left off of the main street) and a souvenir shop across the street from the grocery that had the best prices in town (80-90 Turkish Lira for one of the large painted plates and 45 for one of the cracked glass desk lamps (Note: some places sell the cracked glass cheaper, but these are made in China, difference is that the Turkish made ones are individual pieces of different colored glass chips, whereas the China made are more like a solid piece of the same colored glass that has spidery cracks) Grand Bazaar was an absolute tourist trap with prices to match, prices usually start out at double or triple of what they will settle for. Carpets are cheaper further down in the Mid East (Kuwait/Oman) Hotel room was ok and was clean, the dollar doesn’t go far anymore :( Had a room with TV. Was a bit cramped but didn’t spend much time in the room. Hot water always available, as well as toilet paper, small shampoo toiletries, hand soap and towels ( a bit worn and rough), but no wash cloths. They only use a thin blanket to cover oneself, not a a combination sheet and blanket. A/C was a bit weak, barely able to keep up during the hottest part of teh afternoon but managed, sign on the back of the door said A/C only runs from July to September so not sure what happens prior or after those months if the weather is hot. Saw a few of the other rooms, some were smaller than ours. Front desk staff all young and helpful, eager to sell a tour. Breakfast, nothing to write home about, during the summer consists pretty much of jams, French type bread, cucumber slices, watermelon, cake, tomato, boiled eggs, TANG type juice, tea and (unfortunately) bad coffee. Breakfast is at the top of the hotel with a good view of the sea. There’s a train that runs behind the hotel but after a day of walking, didn’t keep us up at night. To the front and right of the hotel, up the street, a few Shish restaurants along the main street and side streets, Doy Doy Resturant, good view, but food was mediocre, try the one that’s just a few steps (less than 20 feet) and to the right, has a terrace as well. Be very careful to make sure that the price listed on restaurant menues is correct, i.e., may look like a 3 but might be an 8, a 2 may be a 7. If in doubt ask what the price is. Also had problems when given prices verbally, 30 sounded a lot like 13 and 50 a lot like 15, have them write it down. Going under the train bridge and to the right about ? Kilometer you’ll find fish restaurants, all pretty pricey. Down by the Eminonu ferry port, off of the main street across from the train station, there is a Burger King and McDonalds if you get tired of Shish and Kabab. On a side note, there’s a Bosphorus Tour Ferry that leaves from the stand that is closest to the Galata Bridge, takes 6 hours, costs 17.50 TLira. Goes almost to the Black Sea. They drop you off at the last town and you can stop for food (not recommended, all the fish food was extremely oily and the mussels were no bigger than ? the size of a piece of chicle (the mussels looked a lot bigger all breaded up) then you can take the next Ferry back. There’s a fort up on the hill that is free and takes up the time between the next ferry. Lastly, put a lable on your shirt that says ‘I’m from _______’, as that’s the come on for every tourist shop, by the time you leave Istanbul you will have heard, Yes, please, where are you from ? at least a hundred times, and finally, don’t wait till the Istanbul airport to have your last Efes before leaving, will set you back the equivalent of $12-$13 USD for one large beer, a can of Lipton tea, $4.80 USD.

Used the hotel's reliable pick-up service to collect us from the airport. The staff - with reception open 24 hours a day - were always helpful and polite. Our room had a street view, nice and quiet. The room itself adequate-sized and very clean, and continued to be cleaned every day of our 7-day stay. It also had GREAT AIR CONDITIONING! As for location, it's exactly what we wanted - away from the busy streets, but just a few minutes walk away from the Blue Mosque etc. The only criticisms were the occasionally poor breakfast service (no orange juice, weak coffee, sometimes wasn't stocked up throughout the breakfast period) and wonky TV reception. But hey, who cares about TV when you're on holiday, right? Overall we thought Deniz Konak was a very good value hotel. Recommended. P.S. For eating out, we'd recommend the "Family Pizza Pie Place" for the BBQ sauce in particular (walk down to the main road, turn right and continue for 2 mins) and "Mesales" for the great atmosphere and music (walk down to main road, turn right, go through the bazaar and it's on the other side.) Both very reasonably priced!